Are Panoramic Radiographs Reliable to Diagnose Mild Alveolar Bone Resorption?

Abstract

It is extremely important to assess variations between the most used radiographs in dental practice, since minimum distortion on obtained images may change diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis for the patient. For this, the distance between the enamel-cementum junction and the alveolar bone crest was measured on conventional and digitized periapical, bitewing, and panoramic radiographs and compared among them. From a total of 1484 records, 39 sets of radiographs that fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the study sample were selected. The measurements were grouped according to the intensity of bone loss. Statistically significant difference was found in the averages of the measurements assessed in radiographs with absence of bone loss between conventional panoramic and periapical radiographs, between digitized panoramic and periapical radiographs and between digitized bitewing and panoramic radiographs. By analyzing the results of this work and considering the research protocol used, one can conclude that small losses in height of alveolar bone crest observed in panoramic radiographs should be cautiously evaluated, as they may be overestimated.

Comparison Accuracy Study of E Speed Intraoral Films and Extraoral PSP Digital Panoramic System, for Identifying the Extent of Alveolar Bone Destruction in Anterior Maxillary Region of Periodontitis Patients

“…Based on studies of Li, Gomes and Faghihi that concluded that digital radiography is more accurate than plain film in assessment of periodontal bone loss (13)(14)(15) and Rebesco, Semenoff and Chitsazi that stated periapical is better than panoramic images (16)(17)(18), the results of this study can be supported by this reality that periapical images is better in detail evaluation, but with image enhancement of panoramic images, the difference can be reduced. On the other hand, in recent years, digital radiography machines have notably advanced such as larger focal trough size that causes better quality in anterior regions (4).…”

Gender-Associated Oral and Periodontal Health Based on Retrospective Panoramic Radiographic Analysis of Alveolar Bone Loss

“…Comparison among them showed that a small reduction in height of the interseptal bone crest observed in panoramic radiographs should be carefully evaluated for overestimation. Moreover, several studies proposed that panoramic radiography might serve as a diagnostic aid in dental health evaluation programs [57].…”

Comparison of alveolar bone loss around incisors in normal occlusion samples and surgical skeletal Class III patients

“…9,10 CBCT has great value in that it is more accurate 11,12 for assessing bony architecture or quantifying bone volume than traditional radiographic images such as periapical or panoramic views. [13][14][15][16] To our knowledge, no study has scientifically assessed the alveolar bone status of normal occlusion samples with no noticeable periodontal disease, and few studies have reported that certain malocclusion groups had greater bone loss around specific teeth than was seen in normal occlusion samples. 5 Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the amount of alveolar bone loss and thickness around incisors of Korean normal occlusion samples and adult skeletal Class III patients with the use of 3D CBCT images.…”